Separately, he told Reuters in a phone interview that ProSiebenSat.1 was looking for a new owner for its dating division ParshipMeet Group, which he identified as "no longer part of the core business". He did not rule out an initial public offering but said this was unrealistic in the current market climate. "We will probably need a couple of weeks," he said about outlining the scope of the lay-offs and the cost-savings, as negotiations with employee representatives are ongoing.
On ParshipMeet Group, he said the focus was on streamlining the business "and then as the next step find the best owner for this asset".
The media group has delayed its results for 2022 and also its annual general meeting (AGM), citing regulatory questions around its Jochen Schweizer mydays business, which provides adventure experiences such as ballooning and bungee jumps.
It said it would provide a new date for its AGM, originally planned for May 2, as soon as possible. ProSiebenSat.1 has previously said Jochen Schweizer mydays may "fall in part under the German Payment Services Supervision Act" but declined to be more specific. Investigating the issue would take another 4-6 weeks, Habets said.
A failure to post the results by the end of April would also result in the group temporarily slipping out of the MDAX stock index in Frankfurt. Shares in ProSiebenSat.1 were down 1.64% as of 1245 GMT. The group's top investor MFE-MediaforEurope , which is controlled by the family of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, on Tuesday issued a statement following ProSiebenSat.1's press conference.
"As a majority and long-term shareholder MFE-MEDIAFOREUROPE acknowledges the update ProsiebenSat.1’s management team has provided today on its future strategic priorities and the planned measures to address the challenges of the current market environment," it said.
"We look forward to continuing the constructive and open dialogue with the company’s management and supervisory board." (Reporting by Klaus Lauer; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Rachel More and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
